Out and About in Hilliard

Today I thought I’d write about some of the places I’ve visited lately in the area.

Last weekend my husband and I stopped in at the newly built Dublin library located in the heart of downtown Dublin. It has a pretty similar architectural style to most of the other branch libraries in Columbus, and is certainly nice enough to look at. But like quite a lot of modern libraries, I find it lacking in soul. I miss the coziness and more intimate spaces some libraries have.

children like these little tunnels

I can’t honestly imagine spending an afternoon there once I choose my books. I would probably grab a coffee from their coffee shop (which wasn’t yet open), and then head elsewhere to read. I think the best indoor place in the square there would be La Chatelaine. It’s usually fairly quiet and charges similar prices to Starbucks, though not sure how receptive they are to people tying up a table for hours on end.

This past Tuesday my husband and I visited the Hilliard Farm Market so I could stock up on a few things (mostly coffee). Hilliard probably has the smallest amount of vendors of any of the farmers markets we visit, but the selection isn’t bad as they have a little bit of everything – fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread & pastries, cheese and even a booth that sells healthy treats for dogs!

My favorite booth is Two Roasting Joes Coffee based out of Chillicothe (in southern Ohio). They have dozens of interesting flavors – most of which I have yet to try, but this time I settled on (3): Highlander Crème (a favorite from last year), Coconut Crème, and Chocolate Raspberry. I can’t wait until it’s hot enough outside to justify making ice coffee as Highlander Crème is outstanding cold.

I also bought several yellow squash (a couple of which I already chopped up and made a veggie stir fry), some radish sprouts (yummy & they feel so exotic!), and a jar of rhubarb & blueberry jam with Lavender flowers. I can’t wait to try that on some toast!

Friday night my husband and I joined my two cousins at the annual Wine & Arts Festival in nearby Grove City (where my sister teaches at one of the local junior high schools). Unlike last year with sweltering temperatures, this year it was a little more moderate with the mercury only reaching into the high 70s, so it was a perfect night to be out on the town. Seemed to be a good turnout too – as many people in attendance as last year I’d say.

I agree with my cousin when she said that only getting 8 tickets when you pay your fee seems like not enough (since there are at least double that many wineries there), but after you’ve sampled that many, it’s definitely enough (my slight headache the next day is certainly proof of that!). Also, if you prefer dry wines, you’ll probably only be able to sample half as many since most of those cost (2) tickets. I had all sweet/semi-sweet & an unoaked Chardonnay finishing with Andrew’s recommendation – a red wine called “Who’s Your Daddy?” which was a nice blend (not sure from which winery though).

Unlike last year, I didn’t buy any arts & crafts [last year we bought a lovely set of hand painted glasses depicting each of the different seasons]. All I purchased was a bag of a dry powder mixture to make my own chocolate martinis.

This was the only non-fruity option as I’m not really into margaritas or daiquiris, so this was a nice alternative. I already bought a bottle of vanilla vodka, so now I just need to mix up a batch and then freeze it in small bags as suggested by the vendor. Note to self: Buy a martini glass too!

Yesterday I walked over to a favorite Hilliard coffee shop called Coffee Connections located in downtown Hilliard. I like to stop there after I’ve completed my monthly Bread Run for St. Vincent dePaul (where I pick up day old bread & pastries from Kroger and then drop them off at the Food Pantry). After I picked up my macchiato, I noticed a group of young people outside from an organization called Heartland.

From reading their brochure, it appears they’re a company that has various lodgings and park facilities on offer to individuals or companies looking to do a retreat. There’s a Christian slant, but I don’t think you have to be a church goer to enjoy the facilities. Apparently they have an animal sanctuary somewhere on the grounds too as Kendrick showed off one of their local residents – an 11 yr old corn snake named Kellogg (who seemed rather shy as he was constantly trying to burrow himself into Kendrick’s armpit or hide behind his neck).

All in all a pretty interesting week of outings. Next week we’re heading a bit further afield to Chicago. Andrew has a brief speaking engagement at a conference on Thurs, so we’re taking a 3½ day vacation.

Have a great week everyone!